The only reason why Leni Riefenstahl is acting in this film is that for the first time she was offered a role. Furthermore, that year Dr. Arnold Fanck (the film was produced in 1928) did shoot at the Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz without actors.
The film is of minor importance and is even not registered in the Lamprecht catalogue. The opening credits are from the program and partly from the director who is still alive.

Pictures on the film »DAS SCHICKSAL DERER VON HABSBURG« you will find here.

1929 - DIE WEISSE HÖLLE VOM PIZ PALÜ

Production:

H. R. Sokal-Film GmbH

Script:

Dr. Arnold Fanck, Ladislaus Vajda, Idea given from Fanck

Direction:

Dr. Arnold Fanck, G. W. Pabst

Camera:

Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst, Hans Schneeberger

MusiC:

Willy Schmidt-Gentner

Actors:

Leni Riefenstahl

Length:

3,210 m

First performance:

15 November 1929

Out of the films she had not produced herself, Leni Riefenstahl appreciates that film most. A sound version had been produced of it in 1935, which is lent even today in 16 mm.

Pictures on the film »DIE WEISSE HÖLLE VOM PIZ PALÜ« you will find here.

»Dr. Fanck has always made nice pictures giving the impression of a fairy tale through the backlit, the snow, the ice and the glittering and the blossoms etc., but the plot had been realistic. In addition, I felt that realistic plots required realistic pictures too. This means, that if you want to show beautiful pictures, which I liked, then you should present a plot too coming out of either a fairy-tale world or a legend or a ballad where the nice subject is a requirement. While in a usual happening where somebody rescues someone or if you are flying, I mean something realistic is happening, the sun could shine but the weather could be bad too as it might be in real life. And this feeling, that it would be good if form and content coincide, out of this wish I developed the thought that in order to be able to present such pictures I should write a ballad, a fairy tale or a legend. That was the basic idea. And that is why I wrote »Das Blaue Licht« for this legend is almost challenging to produce it in off-beat pictures.«

»After the »Blauen Licht« I have worked with Dr. Fanck once more. However, this happened due to particular circumstances. Normally, I would not have done it again for »Blauen Licht« had been a great international success, and I could work now independently. In addition, after I had directed this film for I could not afford a director I have enjoyed it, and I felt that I have a certain talent for it. Therefore, I wanted to make movies if possible. I had prepared the Mademoiselle Docteur for example. The reason why I went to Greenland was that for my part, the female main part in the film SOS Eisberg, which was demanding physically a lot, Dr. Fanck did not find anybody, and the Universal wanted me. In addition, since I had to play the American version too, this had been financially interesting to me too. Then of course the chance I would not have had again to see Greenland where just a few people got to at that time. In addition, I did never ever regret it.«

Documentary film about the NSDAP's 5th Reich Party Congress, which was held in Nuremberg from August 30th until September 3rd 1933.
The Propaganda Ministry through the central film hire services had lent the film. Since the end of the war, it had been impossible to get hold of a copy of it. Yet, there might be one in the archives of the former GDR or the former Soviet Union.

Documentary film about the NSDAP's 6th Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg from September 4th until September 10th 1934

1935 - TAG DER FREIHEIT - UNSERE WEHRMACHT

Production:

Reichsparteitagsfilm from L.R. Studio-Film

Direction:

Leni Riefenstahl

Camera:

Willi Zielke, Guzzi Lantschner and 3 more

Length:

circa 800 m

First performance:

December 1935

Documentary film about the Wehrmacht's manoeuvre during the NSDAP's 7th Reich Party Congress which was held in Nuremberg from September 10th till September 16th 1935.
The film had been shown in the UFA's preceding program.

The film had been produced in four versions, a German, an English, a French and an Italian one, the latter in Cinecittà.
The Federal Republic's version has been denazified and that is why it is shorter, part 1: 3,183 m, part 2: 2,710 m. It was shown in the cinemas in 1958, the 1st part under the changed title "The Gods of the stadium"; that was the name of the French version from 1938: Les Dieux du stade.

The shots for Tiefland were made with long breaks from 1940 until the end of the war. In 1953, the French confiscated the material. The sound recording and the film editing could take place first after that.